Harry potter and the Time of Retirement
Everything related to Harry Potter belongs to JKR
Chapter 66 – Year 3
"Harry, wake up" said a voice. Harry turned in his bed, moaning in sleepiness. At that point, a hand shook his shoulder and he had no choice but to open his eyes.
"Remus" he complained. "What do you want?"
"Sorry, Harry" said Lupin, his tone of voice showing more quiet amusement than guilt "but Sirius and madame Bones are here, downstairs. And they want to talk to you."
"Of course they do" said Harry, slowly pushing the blanket out of the way. "Could have waited a couple more hours, though."
Lupin didn't answer. In fact, after remaining a couple more seconds to make sure Harry was getting out of bed, he left the room. Grumpily, Harry started changing into day clothes. Still a bit dazed he walked out of the room himself, and then down to the living room. Not bothering to knock, he swiftly walked inside.
"There you are" said Sirius, without a hint of a smile on his face. Next to him sat Bones, the director of the department of magical law enforcement. Both were in their "auror" uniform, two cups of tea and a large teapot in front of them. Lupin was nowhere to be found, but Harry had little doubts that Black would share with him everything… afterwards.
"Sit down" said Bones, nodding towards a chair. "One second" countered Harry, before raising one eyebrow in sarcasm. "Good morning, by the way. I hope Anne is ok, Sirius."
The man nodded, but a grimace was now on his face – hard to say if it was because of Anne, or Harry. Bones was instead frowning. "I said sit down, Mr. Potter. My time is valuable."
"And I came down immediately. No need to be rude, by the way" said Harry, not even looking at her. He was checking the table and, once he found a couple of cookie crumbs from the previous evening, he transfigured them into new, warm cookies and placed them in front of a chair. Bones and Sirius kept watching him, sternly, but Harry didn't care. After a moment of hesitation he conjured another tea cup, and served himself a cupful from the steaming teapot.
"If you are done" commented Bones, acidly. Harry sat down, and took a sip. Finally, letting the cup go, he picked up one of the cookies while showing off a small smile. "I am listening. Go ahead."
"Please be reasonable now, Harry" commented Sirius, sighing. "The night has been bad enough already."
"Indeed" added Bones. "No time for childish showoffs. We have more questions, and we would like your answers."
"I am ready to cooperate" said Harry, shrugging. "I just expect some basic courtesy and respect."
"You wouldn't have found much respect on the side of those who tried to kidnap you, yesterday" said Bones. "And as it is up to us aurors to protect you, maybe you should be the one showing some respect."
"I didn't see any aurors yesterday evening, protecting me" countered Harry with just a tip of irony. "You found the victim at least, that's good. How is she?" he finally asked, looking again towards Sirius.
"Unharmed, but quite scared" he answered, after a quick look towards his boss. "She insisted on being checked for all and everything that could have been done to her before she was obliviated. Now she just wonders why she was taken."
"Hopefully we can convince her it has been some harmless, mean drunk prank from those foreign wizards" said Bones. "If she wants to believe it, she will swallow it."
"But you don't think that's what happened" half stated, half asked Harry.
"After she was released pretty much instantly? Hardly" said Sirius, shaking his head. "Harry, chances are they were after you."
"Is it that surprising? I thought both of you were up to date with the situation" said Harry, moving his stare towards Bones.
"You-know-who, yes. Or, as I have been told, Mr. Thomas Riddle. Dumbledore spoke to me about him, and his words carries great weight. But it is one thing to hear something…." she stopped, but the meaning was clear.
"I can't believe that madness is starting again" said Sirius, sadly. "I barely got out of Azkaban!"
"Bad timing, true" said Harry, smiling. "But it's your job, so suck it up. What do you two wants from me, anyway?"
"Your cooperation, if you meant it" said Bones. "Our chief Warlock is… secretive, to say the least. We hope you are not."
"Dumbledore is a master wizard, maybe the greatest in the whole world" added Sirius "but this is not a matter to be left to him and his friends."
"Sounds a little weird coming from you" said Harry, skeptical. Bones scoffed, and stepped in. "I am aware of Dumbledore's group of volunteers back in the eighties. The order of the phoenix, I believe?" she concluded looking at Sirius, who nodded and spoke on.
"Our top priority is to prevent a return to that age. We can't simply wait for this Riddle to appear again and start murdering those he doesn't like" said Sirius. "And, Harry, you are probably top of the list."
"No, at the top is the headmaster" said Harry, before showing a bitter smile. "Of course, with how hard it is to reach him, maybe I really am on top of those he can strike at."
"Yesterday's events say so" concluded Bones. "So, Mr. Potter, and in your own interests, I suggest you speak up."
"If I may, what did Dumbledore spill over already?" asked Harry. Bones frowned. "Just tell us what you know, please."
"Knowing the type of man he is" insisted Harry "he probably confirmed what was already known by Sirius. Riddle is alive in ghost form, trying to rebuild his body, and we need to destroy some of his artifacts to get rid of him for good. Nothing more than that but a lot of empty words and mysterious hints."
Bones and Sirius shared a knowing look, before she scowled in irritation. "Something like that, yes. And a list of the items he already identified as said artifacts."
"Nothing for you to work on, then" commented Harry, amused, as Bones' frown deepened. Black, too, seemed unhappy. "Harry, try to take this seriously. Your life is in danger, for real. This is not the moment for games."
"It's not that, Sirius" said Harry, finally. "The problem is, we are not dealing with criminals here but political dissidents. Some must be present among the aurors, which means that anything I tell you…."
"We are aware of the problem" said Bones "which is why, for now, the only ones involved in this matter are me and your godfather, here. We can deal with the need for secrecy."
Harry started tapping on the desk, deep in thought. Finally, he shrugged. "Even then, I don't know how to help. Riddle needs help to come back, but the list of his potential lackeys is the same from the past. Nothing new there."
"How is he planning to come back, exactly? Are you sure he isn't, yet?" asked Bones.
"Not completely sure, but sure enough. For what me and the headmaster know he needs to perform a complex ritual that would require, for best results, either mine or his capture" said Harry. Sirius' eyes widened up at this.
"Damn Dumbledore!" he exploded. "Harry, don't you understand what this means? He knew you might have been in danger just walking around, and he said nothing!"
"Calm down, Black" ordered Bones. "Besides, from what I have been told by him, Mr. Potter here was fully aware of being in danger and choose to be childishly reckless and difficult. I am quoting him, of course" she added, softly sniggering, once she noticed Harry's glare.
"I am not going to hole up somewhere" confirmed Harry, calming down. "I would sooner leave the country than that."
"Of course you would" added Sirius, acidly. "Just being reasonable and more cautious is not an option, with you." Harry did not comment that, merely rolling his eyes. Nervously, he poured himself one more cup of tea.
"Let's move on" said Bones after a short silence. "This is still helpful. I can not ignore other possible explanations but it is likely that some of the former Death Eaters, under orders from their former leader Riddle, tried to kidnap you to perform this ritual."
"Yes, pretty much" confirmed Harry.
"Did you notice anything weird lately? Unknown people approaching you, someone trying to know more about you and your movements?" asked Sirius.
"Except you two?" asked Harry, amused. "No, not really. Some of my former schoolmates seems to be way colder than usual, lately. The Slytherin ones, I mean. But it could just be my impression."
"Maybe, maybe not" said Bones. "I can't imagine a secret group sharing anything with kids. But parents go to great length to protect their children, and they might have told them to stay away from you."
"No more visits at their houses, Harry" said Sirius, before sighing. "I fear my cousin 'cissa Malfoy is part of the forbidden list, too."
"I want a copy of that list" said Bones, sending a quick stare at Sirius. "Moving on, what about those artifacts? Can you list them all, and destroying them would really prevent you-know-who's return?"
"Oh, they would not do anything like that" said Harry, surprised. "No, the artifacts are his way of coming back after dying. We need to destroy those just to prevent him staying dead for good. And I think Dumbledore is almost done with that particular chore, anyway."
"I would still like a list of them, and how they work" said Bones. "Dumbledore is old, could die tomorrow for all we know. Better be prepared."
"Sure, maybe later I can go more into details" said Harry, after a second of consideration.
"Very well. Anything else that could help us? How are you involved in all this, anyway?" asked Bones. Sirius perked up too, clearly interested in that.
"I met Riddle's shade already, and I might have ruined one of his plans and insulted him deeply. He probably would love the chance of returning to life over my dead body. Quite literally" said Harry.
"Wonderful" said Sirius. "He has personal hatred for you. But we already knew that."
"That's all?" asked Bones, surprised.
For a second, Harry considered sharing the story of the prophecy. Would it help in any way? 'In my past, he didn't move towards that until he was back in his body…' he thought.
"That's all, I think. But who knows why he tried to kill me back when I was a baby. Maybe there is more" he said, casually.
"As things stand, they don't make much sense" said Bones, puzzled. "I mean, there is that ritual – that is good enough reason to chase you. But that aside, you are just another random boy."
"Glad to be one" said Harry, smiling lightly. "As I said before, when it comes to proactive measures, I don't know how to help. I might have some suggestions, though."
Bones scoffed, irritated. "Everyone has plenty of advices, always. Everyone seems to know how to do our job better than us. What's yours?"
"Just this. The best chance to catch Riddle and his whole group would be when they come after me, or Dumbledore. We could set up a way for you to find me should I really get abducted. And if you prepare a team of trustworthy aurors ready to intervene…." said Harry, only for Sirius to stop him.
"We are NOT using you as bait, Harry. No way" he stated, firmly.
"Just in case, Sirius. Just in case" said Harry, while Bones remained silent.
"We don't put children in danger, it's not how we work" she said, eventually, before sighing "but it is undeniable that you are already in danger. And that you will remain so, with your attitude" she concluded, with a glare. Harry simply rolled his eyes.
"Maybe your idea has some merit, though. And I should start selecting the aurors that can be trusted with this matter. Black?" asked Bones, finally.
"Director" said Sirius.
"Since it's your godson we are talking about, you will organize a way to keep him under track. Something that he can carry with him at all times. Once done, report it to me" said Bones.
"Yes, director" answered Sirius, before turning a taunting smile to Harry. "I won't accept any refusal his time, Harry. Beside, it's your idea."
"It is" confirmed Harry "Don't worry, as I said I want to cooperate. And I don't cherish the idea of being captured with no way to ask for help."
"Potter, are you really sure that there is not more you can tell us?" asked Bones, drily. Harry shrugged. "What do you expect me to say, director Bones?" he started. "I don't know places or names of people to check…" at this Harry froze, an old memory coming back to him. What happened to Crouch Junior, this time around? Did he manage to get free once again?
"Harry?" asked Sirius, evenly. Recovering, Harry noticed how both Black and Bones were now looking at him with suspicion. "If you know anything…." continued Sirius.
"Nothing that would really help" said Harry. "Do what you can, which by this point I fear is very little but preparing."
"I would prefer to be the judge over whether what you know is useful or not, mister Potter" said Bones, but Harry remained stony. With a final glare, she waved her hand. "I have been told you are difficult. Black, try to get him to show some sense. For now, you may go."
"To your room, Harry" added Sirius, immediately. "Don't even think to go home until we had a private chat. I mean it."
"So long as I get to go back to bed" said Harry, standing up and stretching. "Or maybe I should just go and get my breakfast. What time is it, anyway?"
"Out, mister Potter" commanded Bones, irritated. "Me and auror Black need to talk." Sirius butted in, too. "Please go for now, Harry."
"Such a pleasure to meet you once again, madame" commented Harry, walking out of the room. Closing the door behind him, he moved to the kitchen.
"What a day" said Harry to the open air, stressed. He threw his robe atop his couch, back in Godric's Hollow and, glancing outside of the window, he noticed how the sun was already going down.
Oh, he had hopes once his talk with Bones was concluded that it would be all over, at least for a while. A couple days, hopefully. At worse some nagging from Sirius, lunch, and then they could relax. Maybe a visit Anne at St. Mungo, he could tell that Sirius was still quite worried about her.
'Eh, even that would have been better' thought Harry, moving on to his kitchen. He was quite hungry, after all. In Grimmauld's Place, after he was summarily dismissed by Bones, he had moved to the kitchen and had his breakfast together with Lupin. It was even pleasant enough, as they shared some gossip about the meeting, the previous night, and what was to follow.
Then Sirius arrived. After he quickly updated Remus on the events, he started grilling Harry for details on everything they had talked about with the director. 'Notebook in hand, too!' thought Harry, shaking his head. What a moment to choose for being professional.
Sirius had been in full auror mode, indeed, and had asked all possible question he could come up with: on the Horcruxes, on the ritual, on potential Death eaters, on Harry's neighbours. 'Is this Hannah suspiciously friendly, Harry? Come on' he thought, irritated. Taking the supplies from the various cabinets around him, he started to prepare some tea.
It took Lupin's pity and intervention to stop them once it was lunch time, and even that was a somber affair. They shared in silence a quick meal based on leftovers, and then Sirius left – to update his director and visit his ladyfriend, he claimed. But not before ordering Lupin to keep Harry at home for now. 'Stun him if needed? Retard. And I doubt Lupin would be capable to, anyway' insisted Harry in his mind, while sitting down with his steaming teapot and a couple of cookies.
'Well, I can't deny Remus is halfway competent, at least' thought Harry. Probably in an attempt to cheer him up, the two of them moved to an empty room and Lupin asked to be shown how Harry was progressing with the list of counter curses he received for Christmas. Interested, Harry obliged and for all the early evening the two of them shared curses, counter curses and general tips on dueling and fighting. They even had a "mock duel" where Harry thoroughly thrashed Lupin.
'Not bad, not bad! Of course I wasn't giving my best' had said Lupin as recalled Harry, amused, while munching on a cookie. That had been entertaining, and the whole afternoon had been very instructive. It was rare for him to find curses he didn't learn about already, but the forbidden section of Hogwarts apparently kept some precious hidden gems.
It didn't last, of course. Sirius was back soon enough, more depressed than ever. His ladyfriend was still quite shocked and scared, and for the first time in many months she had not insisted for him to visit more or do anything together. "She is not going to dump you over this, old pal" had said Remus, comforting, while placing a hand on Sirius' shoulder. His sad smile in return spoke volumes on how worried he was.
The overall atmosphere inside the house was pretty glum by then so, after a while, Harry stated he would go back home. Sirius rose up at that and started complaining that they had plenty left to talk about, and there were plans to make, and maybe Harry could sleep in Grimmauld's place from then on? Harry himself didn't want to put the man down any further, but he was not planning on yielding either.
Once again, it was Lupin that acted as a mediator. Underlining how the Potter's house in Godric's Hollow was under heavy wards put on by Dumbledore himself, or how unlikely it was that whoever hated Harry would rush to pursue him at his place without any plan, he finally convinced Black to let it go. For that night, at least.
'Oohh, that is not a conversation I am looking forward to' thought Harry, now done with his tea time. He knew, just knew, that Sirius would be insufferable in the coming days. 'I mean, we do have plans to make. But I would like to be able to breath too, in the meantime.'
Changing his clothes, he went outside in his yard for a quick checkup on his greenhouse. The sight brought him a wide smile of satisfaction: that was one thing that was going well. Growing plants full time was more suited to weirdos like his former professor Sprout, sure, but there was something to be said in growing things with your own hands, only to sell them for good galleons.
And so it was that, wizarding radio in the background, Harry started to work. 'The rest can wait' he thought, lazily.